


Spectrum

by writingwithmolls



Series: My Heart Belongs to (All of) You [6]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, First Kiss, Multi, Polyamory, Soulmates, soulmates where you see color the first time you touch your soulmate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:16:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27410317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingwithmolls/pseuds/writingwithmolls
Summary: Legends speak of colors that flood your vision when you meet your other half.So why does Leonie only see half the world in rainbow when she meets her soulmate?FE3H Polyship Week Day 6: Soulmates
Relationships: Hilda Valentine Goneril/Leonie Pinelli, Hilda Valentine Goneril/Marianne von Edmund/Leonie Pinelli, Marianne von Edmund/Hilda Valentine Goneril, Marianne von Edmund/Leonie Pinelli
Series: My Heart Belongs to (All of) You [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1994713
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25
Collections: FE3H Polyship Week





	Spectrum

**I. Orange Skies**

Leonie was never one to preoccupy herself with matters of love.

Sure, it would be nice if given a chance. The idea of having another half to go through life with was an attractive offer, but it was never the highest of priorities. She would spend all day helping those in her village stay afloat in whatever form it took. Whether it was hunting, fishing, watching the neighbors’ children, or tending to the animals, there was always more to do. Leonie didn’t mind it in the slightest, but she had the reminder in the back of her head that she wasn’t seeing the world as vibrantly as she could.

The monochrome settings always looked the same, varying in shade to indicate a change in colors. It was how she was born—how everyone was born—so she never missed seeing the true tones and she was able to live without wondering why her grass wasn’t green or why the leaves in autumn didn’t stand out as a vibrant red.

The legends told of soulmates… two people who had been separated and were bound to reunite as lovers. Her parents had believed the myth that the goddess granted them happiness in the form of another half. Jeralt had, the  _ whole town _ honored the story and the promises of lifelong love. Finding one’s soulmate was a cause for celebration, akin to marriage in ways. It symbolized a new life that was about to bloom and flourish.

Leonie looked up to the mucky grey walls of the Officers’ Academy and wondered if she was ever meant to find her other half at all. Nineteen years without finding them and now staring at the building that could change her life. For all she cared, she would be fine working hard as a mercenary for her village, repaying the massive debt that she owed them for sending her to the school.

Her first few days were miserable, surrounded by nobility who didn’t care to learn her name. She was the first of the Golden Deer to arrive, leaving her only running into Adrestian nobles that could care less about a girl from a hunting town. When she had approached one of the professors about whether she would be able to train in horseback riding, they had told her she would need a  _ certificate _ . Leonie had been taken aback, considering she had been riding for half her life, but she was promised it would be easy to obtain one if she was confident in her skills.

So Leonie found herself grumbling on the way to the stables, fully intending to at the very least get acquainted with the horses. The academy was still quiet, no one sparing the commoner a glance as she went to the stables, gazing hopefully at all the horses that she would hope one day to ride. Perhaps they were right about the certificate—all of these animals looked to be the top of their family lines. Leonie walked up and down the various pens, peering in at them but not daring to reach out and touch the horses.

Just then, a girl approached leading one of the most stunning horses she had ever seen.

“Is he yours?” Leonie asked in awe of the beautiful horse as the girl gently led him back into the stables. His coat was sparkling, and he looked to be of a different build than the monastery’s horses. “He looks so different.”

“Oh, um,” the girl was startled, and Leonie was able to give her a better look. She was a small woman—clearly a noble in the beautiful dress she was wearing that nearly touched her ankles and her hair done in a careful updo. She kept small, but strong hands on the lead of her horse as she maneuvered him into a new stall. “He was bred in the Empire, I-I was told. He’s not mine.”

“What a shame.” She clicked her tongue, unsure of whether to look at the horse or the woman. “I’m Leonie.”

“Marianne,” she whispered, her voice barely being heard over the neighs of one of the horses. “And this is Dorte.”

“Hello, Dorte. You are surely a handsome boy.” Leonie whistled and Marianne giggled. Well, Leonie assumed that she giggled. It was so soft, it could have been mistaken for a throat being cleared. “Do you happen to know anything about the examinations to ride? They told me i was ineligible for the time being because of some sort of  _ certificate _ .”

“Oh… that is the second week of class if you believe you can pass.”

Leonie noticed that Marianne would avert her eyes when she spoke to her, but that was fine by her standards. So many would demand eye contact to show that one was paying attention, but she could tell just fine that the soft-spoken woman was still a part of the conversation. Making her stare at her when she was clearly uncomfortable was nothing but a silly rule put in place by the prissiest of instructors.

“What class are you in?”

“I am a part of the Golden Deer…” Marianne said and Leonie couldn’t stop herself from beaming at the thought of getting to see the pretty, quiet girl every day for the rest of the year. 

“Hey, that’s my class as well! Guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.” She was glad to meet another person who would be in her class, especially knowing that she wasn’t as stuck up as some that she had met from the others.

“I-I guess.”

“Thank you so much,” Leonie said, honestly. The few other nobles she had run into so far had been less than pleasant, regarding her and her clothes wearily. One even had mistaken her as one of the attendants of the church… not even a student. Marianne, however, was kind and gentle. She didn’t assume anything of Leonie, just helped her with her questions even when she looked to be the shiest person she had ever met. Leonie held out a hand, not caring for the curtsying ways of the nobility. “I’m glad to be in the same class.”

“Likewise,” Marianne said, hesitating before taking her hand. In that instant, Leonie felt a shift. With Marianne’s small, soft hand in hers, the world seemed to swirl around her. The first thing she could pick out was Marianne’s hair: it shined in a way that she didn’t think was possible. A quick glance out the window confirmed it, the sky was a different shade.

She was seeing colors for the first time.

And judging by the way Marianne’s hand fell away from hers and the flush that tipped her cheeks: she was seeing it, too.

“I, uh,” Leonie said to her soulmate, as smooth as she could. “I… will see you around?”

“Goodbye,” Marianne whispered, and Leonie nearly tripped over a bucket escaping the stables. Her heart was racing, the pounding in her chest echoing her footsteps on the stones. Then, she did trip over a bucket, miraculously keeping her balance as the contents spilled all over the ground. The apples looked surprisingly the same.

Huh.

One thing that so many people who found their soulmates always wrote poems and grand letters about were apples. How the bright red was something that they didn’t know how they could have missed for years… but these fruits looked the same.

Leonie looked up and realized that so much of the world still looked the same… washed out browns and greys that were murky and dark.

But the sky shone so vibrantly.

* * *

**II. Grey Seas**

Soulmates weren’t meant for monsters like Marianne.

With the beastly curse that ran through her blood, it was hardly a surprise that her eyes had never seen the world in vibrant colors. Her adoptive family would cart her around, making her talk to all the nobility and placing her trembling hands over theirs in hope that there was a match to be made and the goddess would take pity on her brutal soul.

Marianne never saw colors and neither did the suitors.

What else could she expect? She was cursed and it echoed in her blood and danced in her vision. Whatever part of her that should have a soulmate must have been withered under the pressure, unable to work it's way into her heart.

When she held Leonie's hand, Marianne thought she saw the world tilt. She watched as the girl's eyes widened, as she stared at her with such unabashed admiration in the moment the world had bloomed around them. Leonie was easily the kindest person she had met at the academy so far, not pushing her to respond and holding a friendly conversation that didn't dig under her skin. Her hand was tough in hers, calluses rubbing against her smooth skin and it was hot to the touch.

Marianne thought she was going to be sick.

She didn't deserve someone as kind and bright as Leonie... she would only drag her down.

After that initial meeting, it took a while for Marianne to realize that there was something wrong. It was off putting, to put it plainly. The colors would crawl and scratch their way into her vision, but never completely overtook it. It was like there was something holding them back from flooding her mind and she felt the guilt heavy in her heart. She was unable to love, unable to be loved, and this was her punishment.

What if Leonie was seeing the same thing? What if there wasn't enough color in her for it to seep into the other—her soulmate? The worries consumed Marianne, clung onto her like the night and she went to the chapel each evening to pray that Leonie would find someone else, find someone who would care for her in that same unabashed manner.

While praying, she avoided Leonie as much as possible. It was difficult, considering they were in the same class, but it wasn't impossible. She would catch Leonie frowning in her direction; surely angry that her soulmate had forsaken her.

She met her classmates in one cacophony of sound the first day and hid in her room after, overwhelmed by all the characters. It wasn't that any of them were rude, but they all had big personalities and loud voices to match. There was so much teasing and headbutting the first day that it had overwhelmed her. Even if none of them were trying to scare her, it was clear that she didn't belong. She was a noble sure, but it wasn't like she had many real ties like the others. Claude was in a similar situation, but he was so charismatic that it hardly mattered. Marianne wasn't meant to fit in with these people.

That first day and every day after, Hilda would knock on her door to check on her.

Hilda was one of those big characters, with a bubbly personality that filled a room despite how tiny she was. She spent most of her day willing others to do her work (Marianne had fallen victim more than once) but she was always kind to her. Hilda had a fine time filling the gaps in conversation that Marianne wasn't able to stutter out.

Like Leonie, Hilda was a protector that Marianne hardly deserved.

So Marianne prayed.

She prayed that the colors in her eyes would go away, that Leonie would get the lover she deserved.

She prayed that Hilda would choose to spend her time with others that could reciprocate her energy.

She prayed that the goddess would let her disappear, to call her back into creation so she would stop causing problems for others.

She thought she had cried enough about her curse, about her crest that turned her into an unlovable beast that wasn’t worthy of others. Marianne used to believe that she would be able to cure herself, but it had been nothing but a childish notion that weaved its way into her mind and gave her a pseudo-hope she couldn’t help but to cherish.

Even so, the tears spilled from her eyes in that silent church, nothing but the goddess’s watchful eye to keep her company. Her heart ached for wanting a lover, while still rejecting the idea of someone having to be stuck with her for the rest of her life. She didn’t deserve love, she didn’t deserve the warmth of Leonie and all of her brightness—

"Marianne!" a bell of a voice rang out in the cathedral. Marianne winced, trying to wipe away the tears.

She failed miserably, Hilda freezing when she saw her.

"What's a matter?" Her voice was quiet, not echoing off the walls of the chapel like her greeting had. "Anything I can listen to?"

"It's n-nothing," Marianne said, but her lip wobbled as she said the words, the weakness finding any point to bite down on her. "I was just praying."

"You're crying." Hilda sat down on the pew next to her, but far enough that she wasn't imposing in her space. Marianne was grateful, but just wanted her to go away. First, she was bringing down Leonie and now Hilda.

The goddess was cruel.

Marianne buried her head into her hands, letting herself continue to cry. Hilda stayed quiet, not saying another word as she squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to disappear.

Hilda put a hand on her shoulders, her fingers dainty against her fragile body. Marianne wanted to be wrapped up in her arms, but knew that she didn't deserve it—not when she had treated Leonie so poorly and severed the ties to her soulmate.

She didn't think to look up until Hilda gasped.

“Oh,  _ wow _ ,” Hilda said, a strange tone in her voice of reverence and shock that Marianne felt in her heart. “Mari…”

In the darkness of her own hands, she didn’t know what Hilda was taken aback by. She had obviously realized the pain she had caused… right?

“I know—I just messed  _ everything up _ and—” Marianne opened her eyes to a world full of color. It was no longer the blotches here and there, rather a full spectrum of colors had taken over her vision, resting in the pink of Hilda’s hair and cheeks.

“Come here,” Hilda whispered, reaching out her arms and pulling Marianne in a hug. She didn’t think she could recall the last time someone had held her. “We can figure this out together, okay? If we’re meant to be, I’m not going to give up on you.”

Marianne could only cry harder.

* * *

**III. Pink Blossoms**

Hilda had come to learn that adoration and love weren’t the same thing.

Many adored her and her sweet voice and pleads for assistance. She could have the whole academy bending over backwards for her if she tried, and she was satisfied with not ever having to lift a finger.

Somehow, her world becoming prismatic changed her viewpoint. She held Marianne in the cathedral that night, clutching the sobbing girl while looking at the stained glass that seemed to tease them in the night. Hilda had never met someone who she wanted to protect; who she was willing to put in effort for. Even walking so far out of her way that night to find the woman had been a big ask—just to find her broken in the church.

Love was something that she assumed would come to her in vibrant, theatrical ways—but some of the stained glass looked the same that night. As did half her wardrobe and the flowers that sat outside the dormitory.

Hilda shrugged it off. Perhaps seeing color wasn't as dramatic as she thought it would be? Her brother had described it as something that took his breath away, a moment he would never be able to forget. Sure, Hilda would never forget the moment she laid her hand on Marianne and the world around her sprung to life, but it felt incomplete in some strange way. There was something a tiny bit off.

There was a knock at the door and Hilda yelled, "Come in!" hoping that it was Marianne. The smaller woman had yet to reach out to her, but she assumed that she needed time. Hilda continued to flip through the book she was reading as she lay in bed, hoping that no one needed her for anything.

“Hey.”

Hilda looked up and saw Leonie standing in her doorway, not coming into the room. “Oh, what’s up? Was  _ not _ expecting you.”

“I just wanted to ask... are you friends with Marianne?" Leonie looked uncomfortable, so Hilda waved her in. Leonie was quite an adorable woman who had come from a small hunting town. While Hilda would have never met her otherwise, she was glad that they were classmates. She was strong and pretty, and had a way of absolutely destroying Lorenz at his own game with well-timed insults. It made Hilda wonder why it was so imperative that she didn't spend much of her time with those outside of the nobility—Leonie could be such a good friend.

"I would say." Hilda hummed. Part of her wanted to say that they had just found out that they were soulmates, but she didn't want to give out the information just yet. It felt wrong to advertise something so personal when Hilda and Marianne had yet to discuss it themselves. "Why?"

"She's... well, she's been avoiding me since before classes began." Leonie absently scratched the back of her neck. Her hair was short and although Hilda could never imagine being without her long locks, it fit Leonie's round face. "To tell the truth... Goddess, should I even be saying this? When we met, we turned out to be soulmates and—"

"Wait? You and  _ Marianne _ ?" Hilda questioned, earning an awkward blush from Leonie, who averted her eyes.

"I know, a commoner shouldn't be with one of you, but—"

“This is going to sound  _ shitty _ ,” Hilda prefaced, “but I just realized that Marianne is  _ my _ soulmate, are you sure?”

“I mean… no?” Leonie’s voice held so much questioning, as she waved her hands around the room. “It’s weird. My sight definitely  _ changed _ when I took her hand, but not everything? It’s like—”

“Only half of the colors came to light,” Hilda finished, sitting up in bed. She put the book down, staring at the worried girl and letting her own concerns pour out. “It’s like something was missing. It’s… underwhelming in a way?”

“Exactly.” Leonie gritted her teeth. “And then I felt bad because Marianne is avoiding me and I’m worried that I made a mistake.”

“Do you think…” Hilda paused, the thoughts flowing to her head and resonating in a flush across her cheeks. She stood up from the bed, crossing the room and offering her hand wordlessly. Hilda was scared of being wrong, fearful of something being broken between them and Marianne, a tie that wasn’t strong enough to hold all of them.

Leonie’s hands were shaking as their fingers brushed and the room seemed to spring to life around them.

The color flooded Hilda’s vision in crisp clarity, everything falling together and leaving her breathless. It was even more beautiful than what she had only touched Marianne… with Leonie’s touch she felt like she was seeing the world as it was meant to be. Hilda laced their fingers together as they both stared at the interlocked hands.

“The legends speak of souls meeting,” Leonie wondered out loud.

“And we are three—not two.”

Hilda bit her lip, unsure what to do from that moment. Marianne was somewhere in a terrible mood, and she didn’t know what to do to help alleviate the sadness that haunted her. She had held her that night in a wordless embrace, unsure what words would mend and which would tear at her.

Now, she could figure it out with another.

For once Hilda didn’t see Leonie as a way to pass her duties off to different hands, rather as someone who would be able to help her. They could both talk to Marianne and try to make the world and their situation just a little less scary.

Hilda wanted Leonie’s help; she wanted them to do the whole soulmates thing together.

“I think I hurt her,” Leonie finally said, breaking what seemed like hours in the quiet. The sun was beginning to set, it’s golden rays catching fire in Leonie’s hair through the window. Hilda wasn’t sure she had seen beauty until the moment. “She’s been avoiding me since… well, the soulmate thing—and now.”

Leonie motioned between their hands.

“I admit I have  _ no clue _ what to do,” Hilda said, only strengthening her grip. “But… I think it’s easy to tell that there’s something that is hurting Mari. I would hardly consider it your fault.”

“What if she doesn’t want to be with me?”

Hilda stood on her tiptoes, stealing a kiss from Leonie’s lips. It was quick and soft and the sweetest thing she could imagine. Leonie blinked slowly at her, her mouth shaping a gentle “o.”

“How about after dinner we talk to her and see what’s up?” Hilda suggested, having a feeling that Leonie was the kind of person who would fret over every little thing. Her heart was soaring at the idea of having not one, but two lovers in her life. It made up for the strangeness of her original experience with colors and made her feel like the world was hers to explore. “There’s nothing we can resolve if we don’t account Marianne’s feelings.”

They solidified their plans, Hilda beginning to yawn at Leonie’s ideas of gathering a bouquet of flowers and perhaps some sweets that Marianne would like, all to make the situation a bit less terrifying. It all seemed like an awful lot of work.

Work she was willing to do, nonetheless, she thought as she penned her brother and father. There would be plenty to tell them.

* * *

**IV. Golden Future**

Seeing in color was a privilege; one that couldn’t be thrown away or discarded.

The bouquet they gathered was filled with all the colors that were new to them: bright and cool purples, orange blossoms that called attention, sweet yellows that eased the eye, all held up by their vibrant green stems. Hilda and Leonie had gone into the forest to collect them, Leonie keeping an eye out for the blooms while Hilda whined of the heat that was still clinging to the air.

The walking was much more pleasant once a blushing Leonie took her hand.

They tied the stems together with twine and attended dinner, the two girls staying by one another’s side as they slipped Lysithea extra sweets when the others weren’t looking. Marianne was quiet the whole meal, barely looking up. She had dark circles under her eyes and a forlorn expression that broke her lovers’ hearts.

After the meal, they waited an hour before knocking on Marianne’s door.

“Mari?” Hilda asked as she scrutinized the bouquet, plucking off an imperfection on one of the white petals. “We brought you a present.”

Leonie held on tighter to the little tray of pastries they had succeeded in grabbing from the kitchen as they waited for a response. A kind student from the Blue Lions had made extra, giving them to the two girls who wanted to win over their love. 

“Come in.” Marianne’s voice was soft and the two women let themselves in. Her room was messy, with her uniform draped over the back of her chair and books sprawled on the floor. Marianne was sitting cross legged on an unmade bed, wearing a simple dress with her hair down for the night. Her hair was such a pretty blue, as light as the sky itself. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize,” Leonie assured, placing the treats down on the nightstand next to two abandoned glasses half filled with water. “We wanted to check in on you and talk. Together.”

“I-I don’t know what happened,” Marianne promised. “The colors—I’m so sorry for messing them up for you.”

Hilda looked to Leonie before talking, “Oh  _ Mari _ , it’s nothing like that. We aren’t upset.” She stepped forward, handing the bouquet of flowers to her. “Here. For you.”

Marianne stared at them, not taking them into her hands. “You… made this for me?”

“Well, I just arranged it,” Hilda said, letting them settle into the girl’s lap. “It was Leonie who scoured the forest half the afternoon. She was really determined to find the prettiest, most colorful flowers for you.”

“H-hilda.” It was Leonie’s turn to stumble over her words. “Marianne. We don’t want to force you to talk—ever. You seem really upset about finding your soulmate… well,  _ soulmates _ ,” she corrected. “You might have no clue what’s going on, but neither do we. If we’re destined to love each other, I don’t believe we should hide from that.”

“We don’t want you to talk tonight about why you were crying,” Hilda promised. “Actually, you don’t  _ really _ have to talk about it ever. All we are asking is that we can spend this night together, with the three of us. We can just relax and eat the treats we got and maybe help each other with Professor Byleth’s homework.”

“You just want us to do your homework,” Leonie pointed out.

“I want you to know that you’re safe with us, Mari,” Hilda assured, ignoring Leonie’s accusation. “Together we can experience the world in this new brightness… and we want you with us for that. I promise.”

They both watched as Marianne’s face shifted as she stared at the bouquet, turning it in her hands. She was watching how all the different colors caught the light, how they all complimented each other while standing individually. Each was vibrant in their own way.

Marianne wanted to argue, but she bit it back, fought the thoughts away that would only tear at her mind and not let go. So she looked at the bouquet, she looked at the tray of treats, and then at the two that had presented them to her.

She had never had someone ask so gently for her company, while not imposing on the thoughts and fears that wouldn’t leave her alone.

“Thank you,” Marianne finally settled on, accepting the gift. “Please… you can take a seat wherever.”

Leonie and Hilda’s smiles were brighter than any of the new colors of the universe.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! My name is Molly and I'm an author who writes about wlw <3
> 
> If you like my work, please support me by following @ mollymariewrites on Instagram! There you can find my Twitter, my published work, as well as get updates about my various sapphic own-voices projects! Thank you so much for your help <3
> 
> Special thanks to Rory for the title as well as Rory and Justine for listening to me proof this <3


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